In our Contemporary Issues in Teaching and Learning session today we looked closely at this concept of ‘digitally literate’ to find out what it really means and how we go about achieving it. It was discussed that there are primarily 2 camps of thought when it comes to being digitally literate.

1) That we should prepare children to be literate in a world which is

2) That it is enough to ensure that children are literate in the traditional sense of the word. This can then be extended to cover digital technologies.

We discussed how children may become digitally literate as they brought up with technology all around them and that Prenski (2001) describes this as the children being ‘digital natives’ and adults who have not grown up with technology are ‘digital immigrants’. This concept can go some way in explaining how digital literacy is achieved for some children. However, caution must be taken when using these terms as although children may have grown up in a digital age, they have all had different experiences and exposure and can still make mistakes or feel nervous around technologies .We discussed that being digitally literate meant that you could interpret, analyse and use technology. Furthermore it was raised that it should be a two way process which involves being able to communicate your own ideas in a suitable media with the appropriate skills.

Futurelab (2010) defines digital literacy as follows:

“To be digitally literate is to have access to a broad range of practices and cultural resources that you are able to apply to digital tools. It is the ability to make, represent and share meaning in different modes and formats; to create, collaborate and communicate effectively and to understand how and when digital technologies can best be used to support these processes”

The picture above illustrates the elements Belshaw describes as necessary to create a digitally literate individual. Belshaw emphasises that these elements are contextual, that is, they depend on the personal, social and cultural context within which they develop (Belshaw, 2011). The issue of context is of particular importance when it comes to a school KS1/KS2 setting.The new curriculum for computing states that children need to become digital literate and learn the skills necessary to cope with new technologies in a modern world. (DfE., 2013.) As the subject of computing is such a new and maybe daunting subject for teachers, I believe Belshaw’s 8 elements can be a great platform to build computing lessons plans from, they may act almost as a check list by which teachers can check to see if their lessons are creating digital literacy.

In the session today we worked in small groups with iPad’s on the app ‘Puppet Pals’. Our task was to re tell a fairy tale in a modern day setting, we used our own narrations, characters and scenes. This was an activity that was very enjoyable for all involved and the connections to literacy and the development of the skills of storytelling were evident. The activity could also be applied to other subjects such as history, drama and R.E. However, as teachers we must always be aware of what the children are learning, just because they are engaged/enjoying it doesn’t always correlate to learning. This is illustrated by a study into Interactive Whiteboards which showed little improvement or actually a drop in attainment after their introduction. ttp://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/other/whiteboards_report.pdf Therefore it is essential that the new technologies are utilised effectively by the class teacher.

Children are surrounded by technology in all aspects of their lives and this should be reflected in the classroom. The use of iPads is a clear example of how we can incorporate the digital world into the classroom and allows children to become comfortable and literate in a wide range of technology in all settings and environments.